From the Beginning
by Starlit Paradise
Summary: It all started when they were kids. They met after the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha; he was fourteen, she was eleven. They met again during the chunin exams; he was twenty-six, she was twenty-three. They started off as enemies, but perhaps, deep down, it was something more. Kakashi/OC, amongst other side pairings.


_**From the Beginning**_

**Chapter One: First Meeting**

**(Twelve Years Prior to Part 1)**

"What…happened here?"

Sucking in a deep breath, Karuta stepped over a pile of rubble. Sure, she'd heard that Konoha had been attacked by the Nine-Tailed Fox, but she hadn't thought the damage would have been _this_ extensive. Maybe a few neighborhoods, a whole quarter of the village at the most. Not well over half, smashed to the ground like an anthill!

"I didn't think it would be like this," said Shin, her father. Karuta scoffed and folded her arms across her chest, sweeping a calculating gaze over the crumbled buildings.

"Tch. It's expected, though. It is _Konoha_, after all. If the One-Tails attacked Suna-" Karuta hissed as Shin whacked the back of her head lightly in warning.

"Don't say things like that," Shin chided. "Who knows what would happen if this happened to us." He gave her a gentle shove towards the cleared pathway in front of them. "Now, be polite and act like a nice, eleven-year-old girl." Karuta rolled her eyes, but said nothing as she stepped forward and strolled down the path, her father and the rest of their group following closely behind them. The silence was broken by the sounds of feet pounding in their direction, coming from all sides. Instinctively, Karuta reached towards the scroll on her back, anticipating an attack like she always did when in the Land of Fire. Shin quickly pushed her hand away from her scroll, murmuring a warning under his breath to her. The last thing he wanted was for his daughter to instigate a fight between them and the Konoha ninja.

A group of Konoha ANBU landed in front of the Suna ninja. Karuta took an instinctive step back, not at all liking the hostile aura emanating from the ANBU. _They're just a little jumpy because of what just happened._ she told herself, trying not to get worked up over what she saw as a challenge. Karuta was a sensory ninja; her abilities revolved around smelling chakra, and when one let their emotions get the best of them, the scent brought with it was magnified by Karuta's trained nose. The brutal smack in the face that was the ANBU's hostility was a challenge to her, and she did not back down from a challenge, even if she was outnumbered.

"What's your business here in Konoha?" demanded an ANBU that sounded very much like a teenage boy, his face hidden by a dog mask. Karuta felt her father's warning hand on her shoulder, so she bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying anything.

"We're here on behalf of the Fourth Kazekage. We're here to deliver some scrolls concerning a possible alliance to your Hokage." Shin snapped his fingers and Kazuki and Junko, two of the other three in their group, stepped forward, each carrying a small pack.

"Alright. We'll take those two to see the Hokage, and he'll look over those scrolls," said an ANBU with a mouse mask. Karuta narrowed her eyes, not liking how she could sense the eyes of the dog-masked ANBU on her from behind the porcelain.

Two of the ANBU, including the one with the mouse mask, left to escort Kazuki and Junko, leaving the dog-masked ANBU and one with a bird mask.

"You three."

Karuta could still feel his eyes on her, even though he was addressing her father and Ren, the final member of the group, as well.

"You will remain here," he informed them.

"Alright," Shin agreed mildly.

Tense silence stretched out between them. Karuta rolled back onto her heels, boredom overtaking her. Ten minutes passed, with no end to the ensuing quiet. Karuta's nose twitched as she took in the scents of the shinobi working around her. There must have been a surge in her chakra, because next thing she knew, a hand was clamped around her throat.

"What are you doing?" hissed the dog-masked ANBU.

Karuta's eyes narrowed. "It's called being a shinobi. I'm checking my surroundings, idiot."

Shin hissed under his breath, glaring at the back of his daughter's head. He had warned her not to provoke the Konoha shinobi, and she had gone and done exactly that.

"I won't hesitate to attack you," the ANBU warned.

"Then do it," Karuta challenged.

For the next few minutes, neither of them moved. Karuta stared at the eye slits on his mask, while she could sense his eyes glaring at her. Then, slowly, his hand retracted from her neck, and he stepped away from her.

By the time the Suna ninja left, Karuta had memorized that ANBU's chakra. She would get back at him one day.

**Author's Note:**

**Hi, guys! I'm Starlit Paradise, and this is my first story on FanFiction! Anyways, this is my story **_From the Beginning_. **As you can tell, it's a Kakashi/OC story, and it's been stuck in my head for the **_**longest **_**time! Hope you liked the first chapter, and reviews are appreciated!**


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